The men’s team is ranked 163^rd out of 204 teams in the world whereas their women counterparts are at a more respectable 58^th amongst 136 teams. In Asia, the men are ranked 29^th whereas the women are at number 13. Over the last few years, no Indian man has played for as big as a club as West Ham United. Delhi-based Aditi Chauhan created a sensation in 2015 when she was picked by the English club as their goalkeeper. In February 2016, the women’s team won their second consecutive gold medal at the South Asian Games in Guwahati.

Yet, women’s football in India doesn’t get the attention it merits. Forget attention, it doesn’t get enough credit because the women play – not for money or rewards – for joy that comes of being on the field. Who are these women, and what really drives them to play a sport that mainstream media rarely talks about?

Football predominantly is considered a man’s sport even though there is a World Cup for women, one would really struggle to name five women’s football player from across the world. In India, the picture is grim and women are confronted with questions about a sport that promises literally nothing.

“It’s for the sheer love of the game as there’s no money, no sponsors and certainly not enough opportunities,” said Bembem Devi, arguably one of the greatest players India has produced. She retired from the game earlier this year, at the age of 36. In a career spanning over two decades, she won 17 national titles with Manipur and two gold medals at the South Asian Games. She doesn’t like to talk much – neither about her career nor the state of the game in the country – but is hopeful that the women will be accorded respect in the sport. “Initially people questioned me about why am I taking up football as it’s a ‘man’s sport’ but I just loved the game,” she says.

Most women, as Bembem Devi puts it, take it up for the love of the sport. Chauhan was into basketball when her coach suggested that she could try for football. She went for the Delhi team’s trials and was selected. She was lucky as her parents never discouraged her from playing sport. Most other women often face a lot of resistance and quite often they come from not so well off families.

A look at the roster of the Indian women’s football team will tell you that amongst the top 30 players in India, only three hail from Delhi. Manipur, which has a robust tradition of producing talent, leads the chart with as many as 11 players. Jharkhand and Odisha are the next biggest suppliers with three players each.

Manipur has a culture of football with a lot of local leagues and teams that encourages girls to play football. Players from Manipur get influenced by seeing their friends, brothers play the sport and take up the sport — they mostly start playing with the boys. Dalima Chhibber, a first year student of Jesus & Mary College, New Delhi has played for India and took up the sport, as her father is a football coach.

In India, it’s only after the advent of Indian Super League, football has seen investment at a large scale (if it’s played by men, that is). In the last five years, football players have started making their fair share of money. A male footballer on an average earns about Rs 20 lakh annually – and this is excluding the money they earn while playing in the ISL. Players contracted to I-League – Indian football’s premier competition — clubs end up playing at least 30-35 matches in a year.

The women, however, are still nowhere on the radar of sponsors or investors. “For us, the league is an opportunity to play regularly. If money and fame was on our agenda, we would have stopped playing a long time ago,” says a women’s footballer from the North East. Till a few years ago, the women were paid an “allowance” of Rs 600 per day when playing in India and about $30 when abroad. The numbers, said one player, have certainly improved but refused to divulge the exact figure.

Most women footballers start playing at school and college levels, but soon drop out as opportunities are few and far between. The determined ones make it to the national level.

The opportunities are not entirely absent for women interested in playing football professionally. States do have their own women’s teams, but there aren’t enough tournaments or matches to keep women motivated. “Most of us do play for the love of the game and to keep fit,” said Jyoti Burrett, who plays as a striker for India. Burrett, who lives in Delhi, also worked as a fitness instructor at a fitness chain in south Delhi.

Months go by without any international matches and women find other opportunities to explore. Bembem Devi, for instance, works as a constable with Manipur Police. Women from Jharkhand and Odisha work with the Indian Railways. A few others who don’t land government jobs end up coaching children at their local football clubs.  Chauhan, who played for West Ham, did her internship with Decathlon Sports, sports goods and equipment company in the UK.

One of the few success stories in women’s football is that of Anju Turambekar who is now All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) grassroots development manager. She faced a lot of pressure to give up football. As a young girl growing up in a small village near Kolhapur in Maharashtra, she was crazy about the sport. Her father didn’t approve of her love for football, but she didn’t give up and went on to play at the national level. Defying her family and their wishes, she moved to Mumbai and then later Pune to pursue her dream.

Turambekar then took up coaching children between 6-12 years old and was appointed the grassroots development manager by AIFF in 2013. Over the last three years, she has worked mostly in rural areas and wants the grassroots programme to reach villages so that young girls are encouraged to take up the sport. Still, Turambekar never made it big as a football player but at least continues to be associated with the development of the sport.

Last month, the All India Football Federation had a meeting in the capital to lay out “the future roadmap for Indian football”. Perhaps for the first time, AIFF president Praful Patel and other office bearers discussed women’s football at length. As a result a women’s league is finally expected to see the light of the day.

Scott O’Donnell, technical director of AIFF, feels that the start of the league will do a lot of good for the sport in the country. “We are planning to start a Women’s League in 2016,” he said. “The aim of Live Your Goals, AIFF’s grasroots programme,  is to give girls the opportunity to play football is a fun and safe environment.”

There has been a dearth of coaches in India as far as women’s football is concerned. AIFF, according to O’Donnell, is keen to rectify that. “We have been also focussing on the education of coaches to ensure we have enough qualified coaches to coach the increasing base of players,” he said. The women’s national team is coached by Sajid Dhar, who has a predominantly all-women backroom staff, including a goalkeeping coach, assistant coach and a physiotherapist.

The AIFF has discussed the idea of women’s league with the Indian Super League teams as well as I-League teams. Kushal Das, secretary general, AIFF, was quoted in The Times of India saying, “It’s very encouraging. I didn’t expect so many teams to come forward. The best news is that all eight ISL franchises have said they are keen on having their own teams in the women’s league.” It’s not a surprise that even AIFF was surprised to see genuine interest in women’s football.

I-League teams are keen to have their own women’s team as well.  When contacted for the story, Bengaluru FC stated that as of now, they aren’t involved in any capacity with women’s football. Indranil Das Blah, CEO of Mumbai FC, an ISL club, says that as of now, the club is focusing on “grassroots development”. Mumbai FC’s community football programmes, according to Blah, have seen active participation from girls, especially in the under-10 age group. “Almost 30-40 per cent constitutes of young girls and it is a significant number,” he said.

O’Donnell lamented the lack of competitions for youth players. “There are many youth tournaments played throughout the country, but very few competitions lasting more than two months per year,” he said. “Playing competitive football at youth level on a regular basis is a big part of a young players development (and the coaches as well).” He wants schools playing football on a regular basis. Lack of facilities, however, is a big deterrent at the youth level.

The AIFF wants to get more girls playing the game, with the support of their parents, teachers etc. This is where O’Donnell feels LYG has been helpful. “During the first LYG’s Course, we trained all of our senior national women’s team to be AIFF’s grassroots programme leaders, who have then gone back into their communities to train the girls,” he said. The Sports Authority of India also does its bit for women’s football in terms of organising coaching camps and providing facilities like stadium and hostel for women to practice and play. The men still are given better facilities and conditions – in terms of travel, accomodation and even playing pitches.

With the women’s league looking like a reality, it could be the much-needed shot in the arm for women’s football. The I-League winners get a bounty of Rs 1 crore as prize money whereas ISL offers a total package of Rs 15 crore as prize money. The ISL, though, is backed by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Group.

Although the AIFF says that lack of financial resources is still a deterrent, they’re positive about women’s football. As Blah says, “Honestly speaking, there is no women’s football in the country as of now. With the formation of league it will start taking baby steps and has to be developed slowly and constructively.”

The players certainly believe that a professional league will give credence to their careers and give them the exposure they need. It has taken a long time for the women to – hopefully — at least get a tournament or league where they can play regularly. But it is still dependent on whether money will come in. The AIFF is certainly making tall claims about improving women’s football in the country. Perhaps their time as finally come and maybe, just maybe, women’s football might get the attention it badly needs.